Dental and Oral Health Center

Gum graft post-op worry

09/28/2010

Question:

I had a recessed gum on one of my front two bottom teeth. And about a week and a half ago I had a gum graft done. They took some tissue from the roof of my mouth and attached it down there over both root areas of my bottom two teeth. My issue is that I`m worried that I screwed it up by biting into a piece of pizza normally on accident, talking too much, sleeping on my stomach and somehow moving it, etc. It is very sensitive, and I am told that is normal. But I can`t see any tissue where I think there needs to be some, I can see a lot of exposed root on the tooth that needed it. Yesterday I even went to my periodontist`s office and had the dental hygenist look at it and tell me it was fine. But I`m still worried. I don`t have a post-op appointment for a while. I am about to move back down to college and won`t have time to come back for a redo on this if it doesn`t work out. Is it that I just can`t see the tissue? I haven`t pulled my lip down severely to look at it but I have peeked. I`ve tried to be very careful, eating soft foods, etc. Will the tissue grow to cover more?

Answer:

You will not see a major tissue color changes if your periodontist perform connective tissue graft procedure. As far as root coverage goes, root coverage with these procedures is limited to the level of bone between your teeth. If you have bone loss between your teeth, complete root coverage would be impossible. You can discuss this issue with your periodontist. Sensitivity following surgery is normal. It should decrease with time (in couple of weeks). You can use special toothpaste, mouthrinse etc. if it does not decrease by itself. There are also products that your periodontist can prescribe to help with sensitivity.

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